Dream catcher
by Nyny1992
Summary: The day Mai met her new neighbour was the day she lost her keys and fell sick. Who is she? Why is she taking care of her? Who is the little girl in her dream?...  I know, summary sucks...


Hi! For those who read my other story on LOTR well... I'm revinsing the little bits I wrote last year and try to come up with something that makes sense.

Now, for those who don't know me yet, please be kind. **_English is not my first language_** but I'm eager to learn, so if you see mistakses or misused word or expression, please tell me!

As for the story, the first chapter will be a little strange. The rest of the story won't be the same (at least I don't think so).

**Disclamer:** I don't own Ghost Hunt or any of it's character, only mine.

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><p>"Talk"<p>

'Think' or 'emphasis'

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><p>Mai was ready to collapse. She hadn't slept well for a week because of her mid-term exams (which had ended this morning) and before that they were on a night-scheduled- ghost case. She had planned to take a nap at the office (don't tell Naru), but there had been customers all the time so no luck on that. Finally, she had dozed off in the bus, waking up two stations too late, so she had to walk the way back without an umbrella. There was no rain planned this morning. So there she was, soaked to the bone, shivering, dead tired with a major headache, and keyless. Or at least they were not in her pocket. Probably at the office. She should go back... The very idea of moving felt like an impossible task.<p>

"Are you okay?"

Mai startled and looked at the stranger who just talked with a genuinely concerned look on her face . She looked about 17, maybe 19 years-old. Tied up black hairs, dark, almost black, foreign blue eyes and pale skin. She was wearing blue jeans, long-sleeved black shirt and brown sandals. A backpack hung by a strap on her shoulder and she had a folded cherry red umbrella in her hands.

"Are you okay?" Repeated the girl, getting no answer from Mai.

"Who are you?" Mai knew she was being rude, but she couldn't care less in her state of mind.

"I'm you new neighbour, moved in last week. I guess. Unless you're not living in this apartment. But seriously, are you okay? You don't look really well."

Mai just started crying. The other one just smiled gently and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I can't find my keys."

"Why don't you come with me? You can take a shower and we'll figure out a solution, okay?" the girl was speaking slowly, putting her arm around Mai's shoulders. She protested, saying that she was soaked and her shirt would get wet, but the neighbour just smiled and led her slowly to an other door. Shifting her umbrella to the hand around Mai's shoulder, she took her keys out of her pocket. They didn't stop to take off their shoes, passed through the kitchen and the messy living room (lot of papers everywhere), and came to a stop in the middle of the washroom.

"I think the shower is the same as the one in your apartment. Will you be okay like that?" Mai nodded and the other took her arm off the younger girl's shoulder, taking the school bag with her. Mai shuddered, missing the warmth.

"I'll go and get some dry clothes. They will be in front of the door. Just leave your clothes on the ground, I'll wash them and give them back to you later. You can use my soap and shampoo, unless you have allergy. If there's anything, scream." With that, the girl left, leaving Mai stunned in a stranger's washroom. She slowly peeled off her clothes, leaving them were they fell. Mai felt it was a bad idea to not be upright. She finally stepped in the tub, turning the water a hot as she could without burning herself. Mai did realised she was in a total stranger's house, naked and feeling slightly sick, but there was something girl really made her feel trustworthy and kind. Anyway, Mai didn't have much other options. She simply stayed under the water for quite a few minutes. Then, she took the soap to wash herself. By the time she was finished, Mai was feeling really ill. She turned around to look for a towel. Bad idea. She felt herself slipping, then she knew no more.

*** X later...***

She couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes because she heard running footsteps and the older girl knocking on the door, asking if everything was alright. Mai really wanted to answer, but her mind didn't seem to be able to process the action. She was barely able to half open her eyes, dimly aware of the still running water. The door opened and a hand was immediately on her shoulder.

"hey, you're okay? You hear me?" mai nodded at the second question, thought it was a really small nod, and slowly blinked her eyes. The girl sigh in relief, and turned off the water. The hand on her shoulder, Mai realised, was taking her pulse and her other went around her body, especially her back.

"here, it's done. You don't seem to be injured anywhere." She must have been talking the whole time, but Mai just didn't seem to be able to concentrate on it. A warm towel suddenly was around her and a hand was pushing her short hairs behind her ears, soothing the pain behind her eyes. Then the hands pulled her in a sitting position, staying behind her back.

"Do you think you can stand up?" Mai thought about it a few seconds, then shook her head. Her arms felt like jello, let alone her legs. The stranger shifted her and Mai was suddenly carried out of the bathroom bridal style to an other room. A western style bed occupied most of the room and that's where Mai was led down, the other sitting on the edge. A small towel helped her neighbour to dry her hair, then an over-sized shirt was passed over her head. The whole time, she was talking to her in a calm, soothing voice.

"why?" suddenly asked Mai. Hair drying movements stilled for a second them resumed.

" what do you mean?"

"Why do you help me?"

"Why do you trust me?" Mai thought about it for a moment, them deciding it would take too much trouble to talk she changed subject. By then, the older girl was done drying her hair and tucking her under the warm, heavy covers.

"You'll get some sleep for now, you'll feel better later. I'll write a letter so your family won't worry. If there's anything, just call me. Don't worry okay? Everything will be fine."

"Who are you?"

"I think I already answer that question" smiled the stranger, getting up"

"I mean, what's your name?" the stranger stopped, looking surprised. She started laughing softly.

"Okay, that's a fail. My name is Mia, what's yours?"

"Tanyama Mai..." sighed the younger girl, loosing her battle against sleep.

"Then good night, Mai-chan" and Mai fell asleep.

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><p>Same story, change of view...<p>

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><p>'Home, sweet home thought Mia, closing her umbrella. A bright red one, and she cursed her friend for the welcome gift. She could have, at least, chosen a darker colour. Or a less eye-catching one. Anyway, she still had work, Sakura could wait. She made her way to the apartment and proceeded to fin her keys in the mess called backpack. She found her keys just in time to unlock her door, but a figure caught her eyes. It was a teenager, maybe 15 or 16 years old. She was completely drenched and shivering, badly hidden bags under her eyes showed some lack of sleep and the red patches on her pale skin revealed signs of sickness. That and the fact that she was standing in front of the door with complete stillness. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't her problem and the kid's parent would take care of her, but in the end there was no way she could let a kid like that.<p>

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, trying to not startle her. Didn't work. Well, anyway. The girl seemed completely out of it. Mia waited for a minute or so, than broke the spell.

"Are you okay?"

"who are you?"

'maybe not THAT out of it' smiled Mia. "I'm you new neighbour, moved in last week. I guess. Unless you're not living in this apartment. But seriously, are you okay? You don't look really well." Mia wasn't exactly sure why the girl started to cry, probably a mix a tiredness and a lot of things. That was familiar. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to give her some comfort.

"I can't find my keys" that explained the staring contest with the door. Now what to do... She moved so her hand so her whole arm was resting on the other's shoulder.

"Why don't you come with me? You can take a shower and we'll figure out a solution, okay?"

The girl protested and Mia resisted the urge to laugh. Getting a shirt soaked _with water_ was far from a problem. Anyway, at the door Mia had to take her (damn red) umbrella in her other hand to get her keys in her pocket. She didn't notice Mai trying to stop, forgetting for a moment it was custom to take off their shoes. She cringed at the mess in her living room. Paper work everywhere, that she had to do. She finally stopped in the middle of the bathroom. She mentally reviewed the list of renovation past locators had done. Bathroom wasn't really part of it.

"I think the shower is the same as the one in your apartment. Will you be okay like that?" the girl nodded and Mia took her arm of the girl's shoulder, taking the girl's bag at the same time.

"I'll go and get some dry clothes. They will be in front of the door. Just leave your clothes on the ground, I'll wash them and give them back to you later. You can use my soap and shampoo, unless you have allergy. If there's anything, scream." Mia than left the room, closing the door. She glanced at the clock, noting the time, then quickly cleaned the papers in the kitchen and the living room, setting both backpack on the floor beside the counter. The went into her room to do the same (the bed was full too) and picked some clothes that would fit the girl's size. She left them in front of the bathroom door, as promised, and picked the girl's bag. It was soaked too, so she emptied the content on the table and put in upside down on a chair. She glanced at the clock again. It had been fifteen minuted since the girl tuned on the water. She would have to check in 5 minutes to make sure everything was alright. As Mia put water to boil, she herd a loud *thud* coming from the bathroom. She raced there and knocked on the door, asking if everything was okay. Receiving no answer, she opened the door, announcing herself. The girl was in the tub, on her side, facing the door. An arm, under her head, short hair plastered to the side of her face. She was really pale. First was to make sure she was conscious. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder taking her pusle as well as making her presence known.

" hey, you're okay?" no answer. You hear me?" There it was. A small nod and batting eyelashes. She turned off the water, announcing it at the same time.

" I will make sure you didn't break an arm or something. If it hurts, just tell me." Mia kept talking as she followed every bone and the length of the girl's spine with her hands, making sure it was safe to move her. The whole time she described everything she was doing and had at least a hand on her to keep contact.

"here, it's done. You don't seem to be injured anywhere" Mia grabbed a towel an covered the girl, then pushed the hairs behind her ear to free her face. The girl's feature relaxed, so she kept petting a little. Then, she took a hold on the small girl's back and shoulder, to make her sit.

"Do you think you can stand up?" Mia kind of already knew the answer, but she had to ask. When the girl shook her head (easy to miss, her head was probably spinning), Mia just lifted her to take her to the bedroom. She grabbed a smaller towel on her way, which she used to dry the girl's hair after she was settled on the bed. She kept talking nonsense most of the time, but the girl didn't seem to notice. Realising for the first time the teenager was naked under the towel, she grabbed one of her 'bad-mood shirt', what others call a t-shirt minimum 3 times too big, from apile of clean clothes at the foot kf the bed and passed it over the younger girl's head, who was as responsive as a doll. Then she continued drying the girl's hair.

"why?" the voice surprised her, thought she showed none of it beside being still for a moment, trying to know what she was referring to. Her mind came back blank, she she continued her previous actions.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you help me?" 'Only god, if he exist, and my imaginary therapist know'

"Why do you trust me?" 'there, she dropped the subject' When she was done drying her hair, she tucked her under the warm, heavy covers. Time to sleep

"You'll get some sleep for now, you'll feel better later. I'll write a letter so your family won't worry. If there's anything, just call me. Don't worry okay? Everything will be fine."

"Who are you?" 'Memory loss?'

"I think I already answer that question" She smiled, getting up

"I mean, what's your name?" Mia stopped, mentally reviewed their previous conversations and laughed softly. They had never told each other their name.

"Okay, that's a fail. My name is Mia, what's yours?"

"Tanyama Mai..." sighed the younger girl, closing her eyes.

"Then good night, Mai-chan" said Mia. She took the pile of clothes, chose a long-sleeved shirt and put the rest on a desk. She turned to get one last look at Mai, then left the room, closing the door.


End file.
